About this book

Spatial Point Patterns: Methodology and Applications with R shows scientific researchers and applied statisticians from a wide range of fields how to analyze their spatial point pattern data. Making the techniques accessible to non-mathematicians, the authors draw on their 25 years of software development experiences, methodological research, and broad scientific collaborations to deliver a book that clearly and succinctly explains concepts and addresses real scientific questions.

The first part of Spatial Point Patterns gives an introduction to R software, advice about collecting data, information about handling and manipulating data, and an accessible introduction to the basic concepts of point processes. The second part presents tools for exploratory data analysis, including non-parametric estimation of intensity, correlation, and spacing properties. The third part discusses model-fitting and statistical inference for point patterns. The final part describes point patterns with additional "structure," such as complicated marks, space-time observations, three- and higher-dimensional spaces, replicated observations, and point patterns constrained to a network of lines.

Throughout Spatial Point Patterns, the authors use their spatstat package, which is free, open-source code written in the R language. This package provides a wide range of capabilities for spatial point pattern data, from basic data handling to advanced analytic tools. The book focuses on practical needs from the user's perspective, offering answers to the most frequently asked questions in each chapter.

"Baddeley, Rubak, and Turner have written a uniquely comprehensive account of modern statistical methods for the analysis of spatial point pattern data, aimed firmly at users and, crucially, made accessible to users by explicit linkage of the methods to their own excellent R package, spatstat. Essential reading for anyone who needs to analyze spatial point pattern data properly or to teach others how to do so."– Peter J. Diggle, Distinguished University Professor, CHICAS, Lancaster University Medical School, UK

"Baddeley, Rubak, and Turner's book on spatial point patterns is part of a revolution in statistics, and the reader is buoyantly swept along with it. From data handling, to exploratory data analysis, to advanced analytic tools, we are treated to the best in data science, where open-source software in the R language is used to integrate science and data through statistical thinking. This is an excellent book, founded on methodology derived from statistical models of spatial point patterns, but focusing on the practical needs of the applied scientist."– Noel Cressie, Distinguished Professor, National Institute for Applied Statistics Research Australia, University of Wollongong

"Spatial Point Patterns: Methodology and Applications with R is a rich statistical feast. It is by turns humorous, serious, occasionally rather direct, but never talks down to the reader, who is taken as having a well-motivated interest in spatial point patterns. I would argue that applied statisticians not yet conscious of such an interest will also relish the book's stated intention of bringing its topical treatments back into mainstream statistical practice. Being able to try everything out in R, largely using the spatstat package is a clear advantage; this is coupled with numerous relevant example data sets. While cherry picking is possible – the index is more than adequate – all readers are advised to read at least whole chapters, best complete parts of the book, because the information to be found there is part of a tightly woven fabric. Much can be re-read several times with both profit and pleasure by statisticians and non-statistician practitioners. Sustaining this level of attention to detail through a long book is a splendid achievement."– Roger Bivand, Professor of Geography, Norwegian School of Economics, and Author and Maintainer of Packages for Spatial Data Analysis, R Project

"The analysis of spatial point patterns and processes is an exploding field of applied research across many science and social science disciplines. This is thanks in no small part to the development of open-licensed, well-documented, methodologically sophisticated software implementations. For at least a decade, the authors of this book have been at the forefront of a statistical programming revolution. However, with wider academic access to these point pattern-and-process methods, there has also come a pressing need for clearer guidance on good practice for applied researchers at all stages from graduate studies onward. Expressed in an elegant and accessible style, with substantial references for those wanting directions into the more specialist literature, as well as an excellent set of reproducible, multi-disciplinary case studies, this book provides exactly what is needed. It is highly likely to become a classic."– Andrew Bevan, Institute of Archaeology, University College London

Contents

BASICSIntroduction- Point patterns- Statistical methodology for point patterns- About this book

Software Essentials- Introduction to RR- Packages for R- Introduction to spatstat- Getting started with spatstat- FAQ

Hypothesis Tests and Simulation Envelopes- Introduction- Concepts and terminology- Testing for a covariate effect in a parametric model- Quadrat counting tests- Tests based on the cumulative distribution function- Monte Carlo tests- Monte Carlo tests based on summary functions- Envelopes in spatstat- Other presentations of envelope tests- Dao-Genton test and envelopes- Power of tests based on summary functions- FAQ

ADDITIONAL STRUCTUREHigher-Dimensional Spaces and Marks- Introduction- Point patterns with numerical or multidimensional marks- Three-dimensional point patterns- Point patterns with any kinds of marks and coordinates- FAQ

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Biography

Adrian Baddeley is a professor of computational statistics at Curtin University and a fellow of the Australian Academy of Science. He has been a leading researcher in spatial statistics for 40 years.

Ege Rubak is an associate professor in the world-renowned spatial statistics group at Aalborg University. His research focuses on spatial statistics and statistical computing.

Rolf Turner is retired and an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Auckland, where he has taught a graduate course on spatial point processes in the Department of Statistics. He has considerable expertise in statistical computing and has worked as a statistician in the Division of Mathematics and Statistics at CSIRO, the University of New Brunswick, and the Starpath Project at the University of Auckland.